Chief Sports Columnist, Sydney Morning Herald

Columnist Roy Masters is the author of an acclaimed book on the mating habits of NRL players. In these pages on Tuesday, he provided an equally compelling treatise on the mating habits of the Galapagos Island tortoise in which he raised a pertinent point: Why have the GWS Giants so far avoided a savage kicking from the media given their modest results?

With one victory from 10 games, and average losing margin of 72 points, the casual observer - or the mischievously obscure - might claim the Giants' progress is only slightly more rapid than that of Lonesome George, the 90-year-old tortoise, after a night on the tiles. And that reports of ''brave performances'' and ''giant efforts'' were the work of AFL propagandists.

But it is not Lonesome George's speed that best symbolises the Giants' objective. Rather, his durability. After all, there are no 90-year-old Galapagos Island hares. What the AFL's war chest has bought GWS is time. Time to invest in a group of extraordinarily talented young players who, they hope, will bond and grow as the club grows. And - to borrow a now hackneyed phrase - take their fans on ''the journey''.

Already, it has become apparent the talent creamed by GWS from the draft, and pre-draft concessions, is even greater than anticipated. The manner in which these youngsters, steeled by a handful of 30-something veterans, held both Carlton and Geelong at bay on their home grounds was particularly impressive. The four-quarter efforts will come with more pre-seasons.

Advertisement

The usual supposition is that Sydneysiders will only back winners. However, GWS's tortoisian progress might be compared with the hare-like start of the Melbourne Storm, who won a title in just their second season (1999). The bounty from this instant success?

The local media, after checking their street directories, turned up at Storm headquarters. Molly Meldrum got a Storm tattoo. But you could argue it was not even the Storm's subsequent victories in 2007 and 2009, but the NRL decision to strip them of those titles that galvanised support. And, even now, they remain a boutique franchise.

The AFL might have parachuted hardened mercenaries into western Sydney and created a team that was instantly competitive. Instead, it wants the team and the supporters to grow together; to form an organic relationship.

As Masters observed, a key to this strategy is player retention. Something that, at least partly, has motivated the Giants to move their training base from Blacktown to Sydney Olympic Park. The failure to find a permanent training venue was one of the reasons former chief executive Dale Holmes was replaced and a major impediment for young players to sign new contracts.

Budding stars Jonathan Patton, Dom Tyson and Steve Coniglio are among those yet to re-sign with the Giants. Knowing they will not have to drive from one training venue to the next in the off-season might help them make up their mind.

There are other compelling reasons GWS moved their training base to Homebush. The AFL was unwilling to pay the $20 million cricket demanded for its share of Blacktown, and the other facilities, including the pool and athletics track, mean the Giants can do all of their training in the same precinct.

Yes, the AFL had sourced government and council funding for Blacktown, which will not be used as extensively. But its ability to do so only shows how backwards the NRL has been in lobbying for improved facilities in its own backyard.

Does the weekday move from Rooty Hill to SOP mean the Giants have immediately abandoned the fibros for the inner-western basket weavers? Only if you believe the AFL will, subsequently, abandon its aggressive promotional efforts in the west - something the Giants have pledged to increase. Or if you believe depriving a few dog-walkers the ability to watch the Giants stretch their hamstrings is an issue.

Realistically, neither the scoreboard in the next year or two, nor the training venue, will be crucial to the Giants' long-term success. It will be the ability to keep a young team together, and to take a significant number of people in the west along for the ride, that determines if GWS have the longevity of Lonesome George.